


more than fake

by crytalstellar



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Fake Dating, Fluff, post secret end saeran, valentine's fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-02-21
Packaged: 2019-03-22 02:27:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13754331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crytalstellar/pseuds/crytalstellar
Summary: in order to get out of a mixer with your friends on valentine’s you tell them that you actually have a date when you don’t. their enthusiasm prompts you to set up a fake date with saeran. well, at least it’ssupposedto be fake… right?





	more than fake

**Author's Note:**

> this is a gift for a valentine's exchange i did on tumblr... i really went up to the wire with this one tho, weeps. it was due today and. well today is almost over. it kinda spiraled out of control and ended up being far longer than i anticipated and intended.... 
> 
> if i had the time i would have spent more time working out the kinks but what is time? /shot anyway, i'm a bit worried about characterization on both ends (but when am i not?) technically this takes place in eye exam- heeji and jieun will be introduced in that fic a bit later. eheheh. 
> 
> anyway, please enjoy and thank you for any likes or kudos you may leave! 
> 
> now i gotta go work on eye exam cuz that's hella late. ;;

“You know what’s coming up?”

You gulp, but refrain from answering. Seeing as it’s Heeji, your resident boy crazy romantic, who’s talking she can only mean one thing: Valentine’s Day. You knew it was coming soon. How could you not? It seems like every shop you’ve gone to has some sort of display up, adorn with a variety of flowers, stuffed toys and, of course,  _chocolat_ e. But it feels like you just celebrated New Years and now it’s almost Valentine’s Day? If it’s going to be like this, summer is going to be on you before you know it.

“Valentine’s Day guys!” she exclaims when no one says anything, her voice a mixture of excitement and frustration. “And since none of us are dating anyone you know what that means, right!?  _We are drinking_!”

“Should we organize another mixer?” another friend, Jieun, suggests. “Just because none of us are dating anyone doesn’t mean that we can’t find anyone.”

Heeji slaps her on the back. “That is a  _great_  idea, Jieun! I’ll leave it to you to find us some cuties!”

Everyone else around the table starts cheering and chatting happily about the possibility of meeting someone and it turning to something more. However, you’re nowhere near as excited as they are at the thought of a mixer. You’re not against going out drinking with just your friends, but going to a mixer is not ideal. You haven’t really told them about your secret crush on Saeran yet. But going to a mixer feeling the way you do doesn’t seem fair. Not to you, and not to any person who might be interested in you at that mixer.

“Um…” you squeak and everyone’s eyes are on you. You take a deep breath, “I… can’t go.”

“Whaaat?” Heeji whines loudly. “Why not?”

“I…” you try to think of something to say. There isn’t much you can say to keep Heeji from dragging you to that mixer, but you need to think of something, so you say the first thing that comes to mind. “Actually, the truth is… I have a date!”

Everyone at the table stares at you silently. Do they not believe you? Is it because you’re just saying that now? They all glance amongst themselves before Jieun takes it upon herself to say what everyone must be thinking. “You… Have a date?”

“I-I do!” you answer firmly, there’s no going back now that you’ve said it.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Why didn’t you say anything sooner?” Heeji nearly squeals and grabs you by the hands excitedly, her eyes practically sparkling.

“I was… embarrassed…” you mumble, unable to look her in the eye.

“Oh, you know there’s no need for that!” Jieun interjects encouragingly. “I’m so happy for you though! Don’t worry about coming to the mixer, okay?”

“Ah… Are you sure?” The whole point of your lie was to get you out of this, but seeing your friends so excited over this fake date is tugging hard on your sense of guilt.

“Of course! We don’t want to get in the way of your hot date! Make sure you send us pictures, okay?”

Despite the sinking feeling in your stomach, you nod. Now that it’s gone this far, you have to see this lie through to the end.

That means you need to find a date.

* * *

When you get home from meeting up with your friends, Saeran’s in the kitchen eating some ice cream. This is perfect. If you're going to be going on a fake date, you'd much rather it be with him than anyone else. But before you can go on a date with him you’ve got to ask first. “Hey Saeran?”

“Mm?” he responds as he takes a bite.

“…a-are you free on Wednesday?” you stammer, feeling a sudden wave of nerves taking over you. Even though this isn’t supposed to be a _real_ date just asking him is scary enough.

“…yeah, why?”

“Um, well, I was hoping you could maybe do me a favor…”

Saeran puts down his spoon and eyes you curiously. It’s not too often you come around asking for favors, especially from him. When he doesn’t say anything, you realize that he wants you to elaborate before he agrees to help you out. Which seems fair enough.

“So, uh,” you pause for a second to gather up your courage. “ I.. I was… I waswonderingifyoucouldgooutonadatewithme!”

The words come out in more of a flurry than you intend for them to. Saeran looks utterly confused though, meaning you’ll have to ask  _again_. You take a deep breath and speak again, this time a little more slowly. “I was… wondering if you could go on a date with me on Wednesday.”

“…isn’t that Valentine’s Day?”

You nod slowly, feeling a heat slowly encroaching on your face. Truthfully, you’re a bit surprised that he knows, but then again his brother and his fiancee, the most lovey dovey couple that you know, have probably been talking about it.

He stares wordlessly at you, but you see a pink flush rise in his cheeks. Then he looks away, from you and stutters out, “…w-why?”

“Oh… um…” you laugh a bit from embarrassment. You might as well tell him. “Truth is… my friends wanted to go to a mixer that day, but I don’t really want to go, so I told them I was going on a date…”

Saeran doesn’t say anything and you peek over at him. The blush he had going on is now gone, replaced with a moderately annoyed look. After a moment he says, in a rather abrasive tone, “…so you only want to go on a date so you don’t have to go to this mixer?”

If you were going to be perfectly honest, you’d actually like to go on a legitimate date with him. But… you can’t bring yourself to say it, so all you can do is nod.

“…no,” Saeran answers with a sense of finality and stands, empty bowl in hand. He walks over to the sink and begins to wash it instead of just leaving it for someone else.

You sigh, your heart sinking from the rejection. It would have been too easy, _too perfect_  if Saeran had said yes. You’re not sure if you’d been counting on him saying yes, but you don’t really want to ask anyone else… You’ve made your bed, though, so now you’ve got to lie in it. If Saeran won’t go on this date with you that just means you’ve got to find someone else. You reach into your pocket and grab your phone and start to mumble to yourself, “…maybe I’ll ask Zen… or Yoosung… one of them might say yes.”

_“What.”_

You nearly jump, surprised that Saeran is still in the kitchen. He’s giving you a dirty look that’s a mixture of anger and disbelief. Under the harsh scrutiny, you start to explain yourself,“S-since you said no, I thought I’d maybe ask someone else…”

He continues to glare at you, “…why do you need to go on a date with someone so badly?”

“Because I told my friends I was!” you answer. Maybe it would have been better to not lie to them in the first place… But you can only imagine how mad… or how hurt they’ll be if they find out you lied to get out of the mixer. “…they asked for pictures, so I can’t just say that I went on a date… I need some kind of proof.”

“Mmm…” Saeran’s expression changes as he seems to be mulling something over. Could he be… reconsidering? You don’t really want to get your hopes up in case he’s not, but if he is… After some internal debate, he finally grumbles “…Fine. I’ll do it.”

“R-really?” you can’t help but stare at him. Just a bit ago he seemed very against the idea. And now he’s agreeing? What brought the sudden change of heart? “You sure?”

“…yeah,” he replies, albeit a bit gruffly. You’re just about to cheer but he raises his hand to stop you. It seems him doing this for you comes with conditions. But that’s okay, you figured something like that. “…you need to give me chocolate.”

You blink. Chocolate? That’s all he wants? You’d thought that he’d maybe demand something more of you. Slave for a day or something like that… But then again, Saeran’s got a bit of a sweet tooth and Valentine’s chocolates are pretty darn good. You always like to buy them when they’re discounted after Valentine’s is over. “Okay, I’ll get you some chocolates.”

“No,” Saeran crosses his arms and gives you a smug look. You do not like where this seems to be going. “I want  _homemade chocolate._ ”

All the color drains from your face. Homemade chocolate? He can’t be serious, can he? “Saeran, you know as well as I do that I can’t cook to save my life. It’d be better for all of us if I just bought chocolate.”

Saeran merely shrugs. He doesn’t seem to care in the slightest even though he really should. It’s his own health that’s at stake here. “Homemade chocolate or no date.”

You groan, “…it’s your grave that you’re digging.”

He shrugs again and heads back toward his room, “It can’t be that hard. It’s just chocolate.”

You let out a heavy sigh. That’s what he thinks.

 

* * *

 

“Ugh…” you grumble quietly as you scroll through recipes on your phone in the living room.

Whenever you think of Valentine’s chocolate, the image of a bunch of different bite sized chocolates encased in a giant heart shaped box comes to mind. However, after a simple web search it appears that homemade valentine’s chocolate extends to more than just candies. It includes cookies, cakes, brownies… almost the entire dessert spectrum. You reach up to rub your temple. This too complicated. Why did he have to ask for something homemade? It really would have been so much easier to buy something.

“Whatcha doin’~” Saeyoung’s voice calls from behind and you turn your head to see him peering over your shoulder, looking at your phone.

“I’m… trying to find a good recipe for a Valentine chocolate…” you answer sulkily.

“Oh?” he circles around the couch and plops down on the other end. Saeyoung shoots you a playful grin. “Who’re you making it for~?”

You give him a flat stare. The look on his face makes it obvious that he knows the answer. He seems to realize too, because he laughs, and says, “I think anything he’d like anything you make.”

You glance back at your phone, eyeing the various pictures of desserts on the screen. He’s right, though, Saeran would like any one of these. Your main concern is whether or not you can make them so that they’re safe for human consumption. Maybe you can, if you stick to just one recipe… But they all seem so good. It’s hard to pick. You groan, “Buying something would be  _definitely_  easier.”

“Then why don’t you?” his grin suddenly turns mischievous. “You know, I-”

“I am not buying your brother one of your shady products,” you cut him off before he says anything more. You vaguely remember him talking about making some special candy product for Valentine’s that may or may not involve kimchi chocolate. There’s no way in hell you’re giving Saeran one of those. He’d hate you forever! “Besides, he wants something homemade.”

“Ohh~ Is that so~” Saeyoung’s tone gives you the feeling that he knows something that you don’t. But he always seems to give off that kind of aura. “You know, you could just buy something and say it’s homemade.”

You frown. It’s not like you hadn’t considered it, but you don’t want to lie to Saeran. Even if that means subjecting him to your abysmal cooking. You’ll just have to try your hardest.

“You want to make him something, don’t you~? Is it because you really li-” you promptly cut Saeyoung off, by whacking him the face with a pillow. But just because he didn’t finish the sentence doesn’t mean you don’t know what he was going to say. You feel your entire face heat up from embarrassment..

“I-Is your fiancee making you something too?” you decide to try and change the subject.

Saeyoung shoots you a mocking glance, but still answers your question. “That’s right~ She said it’d have PhD. Pepper in it too~”

You blink. A soda flavored chocolate? That sounds kind of interesting. Maybe she’ll have leftovers for you to try.

“Oh!” Saeyoung exclaims, as if he’s just realized something. “Why don’t you ask her for help? I’m sure she’d be more than willing, especially if you tell her it’s for Saeran!”

That’s _actually_  a good idea. You’ll have to make sure to ask her next time you see her.

 

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock._

You roll over on your bed and grab your phone off the side table to check the time. It’s only nine in the morning. You can afford to sleep a little longer. If you don’t answer, maybe whoever it is at the door will leave you alone for now and come back later. You pull the covers over your head and close your eyes again, hoping that you can get back to sleep soon.

_Knockknockknock._

The person at your door knocks again, this time with a little more urgency. You consider trying to ignore them still, but then they knock a third time, and you finally relent, reluctantly raising from your bed to answer the door. On the other side is Saeyoung’s fiancee, grinning cheerfully at you.

“Good morning!” she chirps.

“…morning…” you respond sleepily. “…what’s up?”

She shoots you a knowing grin and leans closer to whisper, “So~ A little birdy told me that you needed some help making Valentine’s chocolate for Saeran, is that right?”

You nod slowly.

The young woman claps her hands together excitedly. “Great! I’m planning on going to the store and grabbing stuff to make Saeyoung’s cupcakes today, so if you’d like you’re welcome to come with!”

It’d be a good idea to go with her. If you do, she might be able to help give you some ideas on what to make Saeran. Plus, it helps that she’s the best cook in the house, so she can give you some pointers so you don’t accidentally poison Saeran. You give her a nod and her smile widens.

“I was going to leave in about twenty minutes, so that gives you time to get ready!” the young woman chortles happily before skipping off.

You shut your door so you can change. As you’re grabbing something to wear it occurs to you  that you’ll have to think of an outfit to wear on your ‘date’ with Saeran. Of course, you could just not since it’s not a real ‘date’ but part of you also wants to look decent. Plus, you have to send pictures to your friends, so it’d be best to look as cute as you can, right?

But you can worry about that later, your primary concern is the chocolate. You toss on something decent, grab your phone and wallet and leave your room  to go to the bathroom so you can fix your hair and brush your teeth. Just as you’re about to reach out and open the bathroom door, it opens, revealing Saeran. You step aside so that he can move past and he comments, “Are you guys are going to make the chocolates today?”

“…um, maybe. I know we’re going shopping for the stuff for sure today.”

He gives you a smile and you’re not sure if he’s actually means it or if he’s just mocking you, “I look forward to it.”

“I’ll… do my best,” you respond a bit gruffly, heading into the bathroom. God, you hope Saeyoung’s fiance can help you make something edible. If he’s mocking you, that’ll teach him and if he’s not… well, he’ll be happy, which is good too.  A win-win situation. You quickly get ready and head out to the living room where Saeyoung’s fiancee awaits.

“Ready to go?” she asks.

“Yep.”

At that moment, Saeyoung bounds out of the foyer, twirling a set of keys on his fingers, “Then let’s go~”

The three of you head to the garage and hop into Saeyoung’s largest and least conspicuous looking car. The ride to the store is rather short due to Saeyoung’s speedy driving so you don't really have time to look up any potential recipes. He drops the two of you off, saying he’ll be back in about an hour or so before speeding off.

You follow Saeyoung’s fiancee into the store, quickly stepping aside to grab a cart to deposit your purchases before returning to her. She walks briskly through the store like a woman on a mission, grabbing things for cupcakes like flour, eggs and…. Potato chips?

“Are we getting some snacks for Saeyoung too?” you wonder aloud. She grabbed Saeyoung’s favorite flavor so maybe he wanted her to pick some up while you guys were here.

“Oh! No, actually,” she giggles. “I thought it’d be cool to top Saeyoung’s cupcakes with chocolate covered potato chips!”

You’re not sure how to feel about ‘chocolate covered potato chips.’ On the one hand it sounds absolutely weird (and right up Saeyoung’s alley) and on the other, the mix of salty and sweet sounds kind of appealing. It’s something you’d have to try to decide if it’s something you’d like or not.

“But enough of what I’m planning, what do  _you_  want to do?”

“I… still have no clue,” you admit with a sigh. “I was hoping to find some inspiration at the store.”

“Hmm, I see~” she hums thoughtfully. “Well… do you want to try baking something? You don’t have to make cupcakes like I am. You could try cookies or brownies.”

You can’t help but make a face. There’s something about baking that’s even more terrifying than regular cooking is to you. People have told you that you can get away with fudging measurements and times with cooking, but not baking. Apparently, baking is an exact science where you could mess the entire thing up if you don’t follow the directions to the letter.

Saeyoung’s fiancee laughs, “I’ll take that as a no, then. There are other things you can make that don’t involve an oven.”

“…yeah, but they’ll probably involve the stove,” you grumble.

“If it didn’t it wouldn’t really count as homemade…”

“Good point,” you sigh. “So what kinds of things could I make…?”

“Hm…” she taps a finger to her lips as she thinks. “Well, there’s fudge, truffles… You could probably also do chocolate covered strawberries- that’d be super easy!”

That they would be. You know they sell microwavable kits for chocolate dipped fruit too, so you wouldn’t even have to use the stove. But something about it seems… cheap. It’s a strange feeling. You want to do something easy, but at the same time, you really want to wow Saeran despite the limits of your own capabilities. Either way, you make note of it- you can do it if the other two suggestions don’t pan out.

You pull out your phone and do a quick web search for fudge recipes. That looks simple enough too. It seems you can flavors other than just plain chocolate too. It’d be a little more work, but it seems doable. You open another window in your phone’s browser and search for truffles. The initial result gives you mushrooms so you try again, this time specifying that you’re looking for chocolate truffles. The search results you get this time look far more favorable, but  _damn_ those look fancy, far fancier than the fudge or chocolate covered strawberries. One result boasts a list of seventeen  _easy_ recipes so you check that. Skimming through the first recipe, you find that it’s kind of similar to the fudge recipe but more effort is required since you’re shaping it too. You scroll through the other recipes, trying to decide if it’s worth the extra effort for these truffles when one particular image catches your eye. That looks kind of like…

“Well, did you find something?” Saeyoung’s fiancee asks, noticing that you’ve been quiet for a while.

“..yeah,” a smile starts to slowly form on your face. It might be a bit hard, but you just might be able to pull it off. And if you can, you just know it’ll be totally worth to see Saeran’s amazed face when he gets what you have planned. “…I think I did.”

 

* * *

 

When you and Saeyoung’s fiancee get home from the store, none other than Saeran is waiting for the two of you in the kitchen. You have a sneaking suspicion that he wants to get a sneak peek at whatever chocolate surprise you have planned for him. But as soon you get all the groceries in the kitchen Saeyoung's fiancee shooes both twins out the kitchen so you can put the classified goods away. It seems that while Saeyoung knows that his Valentine’s chocolate has PhD Pepper in it, he doesn’t much else about it. And obviously, his fiancee wants to keep it that way.

Once everything is all put away, you head back toward your room since the chocolate making will all be happening tomorrow when both boys are out of the house. Saeran, after getting kicked out of the living room, seems to have settled himself on the living room couch, busying himself with a botany encyclopaedia. Just as you’re about to pass him, he closes the book and looks up at you, “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask something about our… date,” he hesitates on that last word, looking flustered as he says it.

“Sure, what’s up?”

Saeran doesn’t respond right away and after a moment he slowly says, “What were you planning on doing?”

“….to be honest, I haven’t really thought about it,” you admit shamefully.

“…why not? Since this was your idea, don’t you think you should be the one thinking up the plans?” Saeran complains snarkily.

“Well, I’ve been a bit preoccupied since _someone_  requested I make them homemade chocolates,” you bite back. “Trying to make sure that I don’t kill you, you know.”

Saeran frowns, but doesn’t give you a smartass retort. Sounds like you win this one. You sigh and plop down on the couch next to him, “…why don’t we think up something together? It’ll be better that way, don’t you think?”

When Saeran perks up a little you can’t help but wonder if maybe this is what he wanted all along. It makes sense for him to want to have some input on what you do, he probably doesn’t want to be dragged around doing just stuff you want to do when he was already so reluctant to go on this date. You snicker a little and ask, “…do you already have something in mind?”

He blushes, making it obvious that you hit the nail on the head. Does that mean he’s actually been thinking about this date? Maybe, despite his outward reluctance, he’s actually been looking forward to this? Your heart starts to race a little at the thought of it, but you shake your head a tiny bit. You need to focus, and you don’t want to let yourself get disappointed if you turn out to be wrong.

Saeran pouts a bit, but reaches into his pocket to pull out his phone. He unlocks it and brings up a window before extending it in your direction, “…maybe we can do this?”

You gingerly take his phone so you can examine what he’s showing you more closely. It seems to be a webpage for a restaurant that’s doing a special promotion for Valentine’s Day. You skim through the details but it seems they’re offering an exclusive three course dinner. Once you see the dessert that’s part of this dinner you immediately understand why Saeran wants to go here. It’s a specially handcrafted ice cream and cake dessert that looks almost too pretty to eat.

“I think that’s fine,” you say, handing Saeran his phone.

His eyes light up, but he still asks to confirm, “…you’re sure?”

“Of course! I mean, you’re doing me a favor by going on this date in the first place,” you reason, then, after a second, you hastily add. “Plus the dinner looks really good,  _especially_  the dessert.”

“…yeah…”

“So, we’ll do that then!” you grin, glad that you now have a solid plan for the date. “…oh, but it looks like we need reservations. I guess I should call…”

“I’ll do it,” Saeran says a little suddenly.

“Oh, really? Thanks!” You’re glad that he’s decided to take that on since it’s one less thing to worry about, though it seems strange for him to volunteer so readily.  “…is there anything else you want to do?”

Saeran’s expression turns contemplative. He seems to have something on his mind, and you wait for him to voice what it might be. But instead he says, “…no, it’s not a real date, so it’s not necessary to do more than that.”

Is it just you or does he sound a bit… disappointed? He really seemed like he was thinking of something, but apparently not. You mask your own sense of disappointment behind a smile, “…that’s right, huh… I just wanted to know just in case….”

You laugh a little, but it feels a bit forced. Hopefully, Saeran can’t tell. You rise to your feet and say, “Now that we know what to do, we’re pretty much set, right? …well, I still have to make the chocolates, but we’re doing that tomorrow so. Uh.”

God, this feels so awkward now. You don’t know what to say. “I’ll… I’ll try to make sure they’re edible!”

Saeran nods a little and you rush back to your room. Once you get there, you shut the door and lean against it. It’s supposed to be a fake date, so you don’t know why you’re getting one little thing like that get you all riled up. Is it because he showed some interest in it? Because he had an idea? Did that give you hope?

Did you want this fake date to be something more?

When you think about it, the answer to all of these questions is  _yes_. You  _want_  him to be interested. You  _want_  to have hope. You  _want_  this date to be something more than fake. You want all that because you have feelings for him.

Maybe the need for a fake date prompted you to actually ask him, but you didn’t need to tell him it was fake. You could have just said that you wanted to go on a date. Who knows? He might have said yes.

Feeling frustrated, you hold your head in your hands. All you can do now is hope it goes well. Maybe if it does, it can spark something more…

 

* * *

 

The day has finally come. It’s finally Valentine’s Day. Saeran told you that your reservation at the restaurant was for 5PM, and, despite yourself, you spend pretty much the entire afternoon rifling through your entire wardrobe to find something suitable to wear. You definitely don’t want to look like you’re trying too hard, but you also don’t want to look like you don’t give a damn about this date.

Because you do! But you don’t. It’s kind of confusing whenever you try to think of your expectations concerning this date, so you try not to.

“I think this looks okay…” you mutter, looking over your chosen outfit for what feels like the millionth time. What you ended up choosing isn’t _the_ cutest thing you own, but you could probably count it somewhere in your top three outfits. Maybe you should try on one of the other ones just in case.

A sudden knocking on your door causes you to nearly jump and you scramble to grab your phone. You knew the time was getting close but you didn’t realize it was already 4:30! The person at the door knocks again and you answer, “Yes?”

After a minute, the door opens and Saeyoung’s fiancee peeks in, “I-I don’t mean to rush, but are you almost ready?”

“Uh, yeah!” You wonder if maybe Saeran sent her to check on you. If he’s already ready, you don’t want to keep him waiting any longer, but… “Hey, quick question, is what I’m wearing okay?”

She gives you an inquisitive glance and steps into your room to get a better look at your outfit. Her face lights up instantly, and she nearly squeals, “You look absolutely adorable! Saeran’s gonna love it!”

“Ah… I don’t know about that… It’s a fake date, after all.” But despite that, you still find yourself blushing at the compliment.

“Fake or not, it’s still a date,” she chides while wagging a finger at you. “And who knows, maybe it’ll become real along the way.”

Something about her expression makes it seem like she knows something you don’t. The look reminds you of the one Saeyoung gave you a couple days back. You have the feeling you know what they’re hinting at but it’s better not to hope.

“I… guess,” you sigh.

“Now, none of that!” Saeyoung’s fiancee scolds you as she forcefully bops you on the nose. “He’s waiting for you, you know?”

“Tell him I’ll be out there in a minute.”

Saeyoung’s fiancee nods before leaving the room. Once she’s gone, you grab the delicately wrapped box filled with the chocolates you made for Saeran and stare at it. You figured your room was a safer place to store them just in case Saeran tried to sneak a taste. Luckily, all your hard work managed to yield something edible. According to Saeyoung’s fiancee (since you were far too nervous to try them yourself), they even taste _good_. Part of you doubts her words, thinking maybe she was just being nice, but another part thinks she’d tell you if they were bad, you doubt she’d intentionally poison her soon to be brother in law.

A loud shout from the living room reminds you that you’re on a time crunch and you jam the box into a gift bag and hurry into the living room. As you approach, you can hear Saeyoung and his fiancee trying to soothe Saeran as he gripes about you taking so long to get ready. But as soon as you enter the room, all conversation seems to cease.

“I’m sorry I took so long,” you apologize, feeling a bit nervous since everyone’s eyes are on you. “We won’t be late, will we?”

When Saeran doesn’t answer right away, you turn your attention toward him. He’s staring right at you, but he seems to be in a daze for some reason.

“…Saeran?”

“Huh?” he seems to snap out of it. “…it’s not too far, we should be fine.”

You let out a relieved sigh. It’d suck if you missed the reservation, especially if it was because you took too long to get ready. Saeran waves you over toward him so you can leave, and you realize that he actually put some effort into his appearance for this date. His normally unruly hair has been combed down a bit, and he’s decked out in a suit, tie, blazer and all. It makes you kind of wish you’d actually gone with your number one outfit.

“Uh…” you debate whether or not you should actually say something or not. Saeran glances questioningly down at you, and you gulp. Might as well. “You look… good.”

Saeran’s eyes widen and he averts his gaze, an obvious blush spreading across his cheeks. “…you…too.”

That, in turn, causes you to turn red. You weren’t expecting that. “I… I’ll give you the chocolates after dinner. Don’t want you ruining your appetite.”

Saeran looks a bit nonplussed that he has to wait, but doesn’t voice any complaints.

The two of you stand there, somewhat awkwardly, for a moment, before Saeyoung strides over, draping an arm around both yours and Saeran’s shoulders. “Now kids, you go out there and have a good time, but don’t stay out too late~”

Saeran swats at his brother, but Saeyoung evades the attack, giggling as he flees to safely behind his fiancee. Clearly annoyed,  Saeran shoots a glare in Saeyoung’s direction before ushering you toward the garage. When you get there, he grabs a set of keys off the wall before leading you to one of Saeyoung’s cars, hitting the remote to unlock it as you get close.

“Wait a sec!” you exclaim, stepping around Saeran, putting yourself between him and the car, “We’re taking one of your brother’s cars?”

“Yeah. So?”

You’re just surprised is all. Saeyoung treats his cars as if they’re his babies. But then again, if his ‘precious little brother’ asked to drive one you can’t really see Saeyoung turning him down. “Wait, can  _you_  even drive?”

Saeran clicks his tongue, “Of course. Did you think my brother was going to drive us around?”

If you’re going to be honest, yes. You laugh a bit nervously instead of answering and Saeran lets out an exasperated sigh. He steps past you once more and around to the passenger side of the car. Wait. Didn’t he just say he was driving? You’re about to ask when he opens the door and motions for you to take a seat. Stunned by the sudden gentlemanly gesture, you merely gawk at him. After a moment, Saeran clears his throat, and you hurriedly sit. “Th-thanks…”

Saeran shuts the door as soon as you’re in the seat and moves to the driver’s side. He slides into his seat and puts the key in the ignition,  turning the car on. Then, Saeran takes a deep breath before he pulls out if the parking spot.

The ride to the restaurant teaches you two things: one, Saeran indeed knows how to drive and two, it had to be Saeyoung who taught him. No other sane person would drive like that and live to tell the tale. Because of that, Saeran manages to get the both of you to the restaurant a couple minutes before the reservation time.

Just like he did when you left he comes around and opens the car door for you, this time extending a hand to help you out. Hesitantly, you take his hand and set the chocolates down on the seat. You immediately note how sweaty his hand feels. Is he nervous? Or something else? He gently tugs you out of the car and leads you to the restaurant, his hand still firmly holding onto yours.

Inside, the restaurant is packed with at least a dozen other couples obviously waiting to get a seat. Saeran merely walks past them and up to the hostess, who greets him with a smile.

“I have a reservation at five for two,” he tells her smoothly.

“Your name?” the hostess asks automatically.

“Saeran Choi.”

She stares at him for a moment before looking down at the computer in front of her and after a second says, “It’ll be just a moment, sir.”

Saeran nods and steps away off to the side. You follow after, stopping so you’re standing side by side. The notification sound from your phone goes off and you reach into your bag to pull it out. Of course, it’s a text from Heeji.

 

 

>   _hope ur date is going well! Don’t forget the pics u promised!_

Shit! That’s right! You said you’d take pics for them, didn’t you? Since the two of you are still waiting to be seated, it might be a good time to take a quick picture. The lighting in the lobby is relatively bright, so the picture should come out fairly well. “Hey Saeran?”

“Mmm?”

“Do you mind if we take a selfie real quick?” you ask, clapping your hands together to plead with him.

“…why?”

“To commemorate our date, of course!” you exclaim, then add, as an afterthought. . “…also because my friends are asking.”

Saeran gives you a deadpan look, ordinarily that would mean no, but you can’t let that deter you. Part of the reason you’re on this date in the first place is because you need visual evidence. You give him the good old puppy dog eyes, hoping that maybe you’ll be able to sway him, “Come on, please? Just one little picture?”

It doesn’t seem like Saeran’s going to relent, so you start to think of ways to possibly barter with him. But to your surprise, he gives in rather easily, “…okay, fine.”

You let out a small cheer and open the camera app on your phone. It’s set to the rear-facing camera, so you have to switch to the front-facing one. Once that’s set, you scooch closer to Saeran and angle the camera so that the both of you are visible. You raise your free hand and make a little finger heart with your thumb and index finger. Then you nudge Saeran with your elbow, “Hey, you do it too!”

“… why?”

“It’s cute, don’t you think?”

“I… guess.” But despite his reluctant tone,  Saeran still raises a hand, mimicking the gesture. You adjust the camera a little more before giving him more instructions, “Great! Now smile!”

You beam widely, then hit the shutter button in the side of your phone a second later. The screen flashes and you hear a click, meaning the picture’s been taken. You relax from your pose to check the picture you’ve taken. Unfortunately, Saeran isn’t sporting the huge grin you’d been aiming for, but there is a faint smile on his face. You like it. It’s very…  Saeran.

He peeks over your shoulder look at the picture and after a second asks in a confused tone, “You’re not gonna ask to take another one?”

“Nope!” you chirp, attaching the photo to a text you’re sending to Heeji. “I actually think this one came out pretty nice!”

“Even if I’m not smiling like an idiot?”

“Yep.” You hit the send button . “This suits your personality better.”

Saeran turns red and looks away from you. “…will you send me a copy of that picture too?”

You blink. Now it’s your turn to be confused. “Why?”

He turns even more red, “I… just… it’d be just useful is all!”

“For… what?”

“I-in case I need to tell someone I have a girlfriend or something!” he nearly spits at you. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to you, Saeran doesn’t seem like the kind of guy to make up a girlfriend for any reason. But none the less, you send him a copy of the picture.

The hostess calls for the two of you and you walk back up to the desk. You notice a few of the others waiting to be seated give the two of you envious stares. Most of them were there before you, so you can only guess they didn’t have a reservation and are stuck waiting until either someone doesn’t show or if someone leaves early. You can only imagine how long the wait must be.

The hostess grabs a couple menus and leads you to wherever you’ll be sitting. She asks a couple standard questions like how’s your night been and if it’s your first time at the restaurant which Saeran answers. You kind of thought it when you got here but now that you’re walking through the restaurant, you realize that this place is really fancy. When you get to the table, the hostess pulls out one of the chairs for you, and you sit as she moves around the table and pulls out the other for Saeran. Then she hands you both the menu and reaches for the napkin on the table. With a graceful wave of her arm, she undoes it and places it neatly on your lap, then does the same for Saeran. Yep. This place is totally fancy.

“Narae will be your server today,” the hostess informs you. “She’ll be over in just a moment.”

Both you and Saeran nod before looking back at the menu. You recognize it as the special Valentine’s menu that Saeran showed you a couple days ago. At the time, you’d only really paid attention to the dessert since you figured that’s what he wanted to come here for, but the appetizer and entree choices look really good too…

A young woman, who you assume is your server walks up to the table, “Hi guys, I’m Narae and I’ll be your server for the night. Can I start you guys off with some drinks? Some wine perhaps?”

“Just water is fine for me,” you answer. You don’t really feel like drinking right now.

She looks at Saeran who says, “Water for me too.”

“Would you guys like some Perrier? Or is just regular water alright?”

“Uh… just regular water is okay.”

“Alright!” She bobs her head up and down cheerfully. “And are you guys ready to order or do you still need a couple minutes?”

“A couple more minutes, please.”

“Okay! I’ll get your waters and put your appetizer in the meantime! ” The waitress reaches over and takes the two wine glasses off the table since you and Saeran won’t be having any need of them.  When she’s gone you redirect your attention to the menus, trying to decide on an entree. Luckily, the entree choices for this special Valentine’s menu is limited to just two, but…

“The steak and the ravioli both sound really good…” you lament, unable to choose.  “…which one are you gonna order, Saeran?”

“Mmm… Dunno…” he responds, eyebrows scrunched as he examines the menu himself. If anything he’s probably more focused on the dessert than the main course so he may not really care either way…

“… hey, I’ve got an idea!” you exclaim suddenly. Saeran gives you an inquisitive look and you explain.  “Why don’t you order one entree and I’ll order the other and we can try both!”

Saeran just stares at you blankly. Was that a bad idea? Was it too… couple-y? You raise your hands, ready to take back what you’ve said, but before you can, Saeran nods a bit, “…yeah… That’s fine.”

“Awesome!” you cheer, glad to have solved that problem. Is it just you or has Saeran been more amicable since you left the house? You would have figured he'd be a lot more reluctant to agree with you on anything given the situation. But this entire time he's been... nice. Like he's trying to be a good date, despite the situation.

As if on cue, your server reappears by your table, she pours water in your glasses from a pitcher and asks, “Are you guys ready to order?”

“Yes!” you look back down at the menu even though there’s no need to since you know what you want. “Can I get the pasta and he’ll have the steak?”

“Of course!” The waitress smiles, apparently committing the orders to memory. “How would you like your steak, sir?”

Saeran looks up and answers after a beat, “Medium rare.”

“Excellent! I’ll go put those in right away! The first course should be coming up soon!”

“Okay, thank you!” you smile, and the waitress bows a bit, taking the menus from both you and Saeran before walking off.

When she’s gone you glance over at Saeran, who’s just sitting there quietly. It’ll be awkward if you both just sit here silently the entire meal, so until the appetizer comes, you’ve got to try and think of something to talk about.

“So, this place is really fancy!” you say, looking around at the interior. “How’d you hear about it?”

“A famous pastry chef works here,” he explains. “I saw a special about her on TV.”

“Ohhhh.” That makes sense, despite how good the other courses are, the both of you are really here for the dessert. “Is that why it’s so busy here?”

“Maybe.”

“Then it’s really good we were able to get a reservation on such short notice!” With all those couples that had been waiting, you have the feeling that maybe the restaurant starts taking reservations for Valentine’s at least a couple months in advance. A triumphant smirk slowly spreads across Saeran’s face. You stare at him, confused why he’s got that look on his face. Then it clicks. He did something, didn’t he? You shoot him a suspicious glare and lean closer so that no one nearby can hear you. “Did you do something?!”

Saeran gives a noncommittal shrug, which, to you, is the same as admitting guilt.

You groan, “ _Saeran._  Didn’t you see all those people waiting? You can’t just _ha_ -”

“Wait a second,” he raises a hand to cut you off. “I didn’t hack anything.”

You throw him a pointed stare. “Really?”

He gives you a pouty glare before looking away. “…the day you asked to go on this date I called about a reservation.”

You blink. That means he’d been thinking about coming here before you even discussed it? You’d realized he’d must have wanted to since he so readily suggested it, but you didn’t think he’d actually been thinking of it since the very beginning… Maybe that’s why he’d been so eager to make the reservation instead of letting you do it.

“They were full, obviously,” he continues, grumbling as he goes. “But I called everyday to ask if anyone had cancelled. Eventually someone did and they gave me that person’s slot.”

When he’s done, he looks away from you, blushing once more. Finally, you ask, “…did you really want to come here that badly?”

He nods, still refusing to look at you.

“I… see… I’m sorry for accusing you of using… unsavory methods to get this reservation,” you bow your head down. He must have been really happy when he’d scored that reservation. The dessert here must really be out of this world if he called  _everyday_  trying to get a reservation.

One of the waitstaff comes over to your table with a tray, and you figure that must be the appetizer. You’ve maybe been here around ten minutes, so you're a bit surprised it's come out so quickly. Then again since there’s only one appetizer the kitchen is probably cranking it out, especially since it’s such a busy night. The waiter places a bowl of soup in front of the both of you with a cheerful “enjoy!” before walking away.

You look down at the soup, the menu said it was some kind of bisque. It looks kind of creamy. You pick up your spoon and slowly bring it to your mouth to take a small taste. Luckily, it’s not so hot that you can’t eat it… and in fact, it’s really good! You quickly finish off the bowl of soup and find that Saeran has done the same.

Almost as soon as you’re done eating the soup, the entrees arrive. You’re so glad that you suggested that you both of them since they look absolutely delicious. You pick up your fork and examine the ravioli. They’re a bit big to eat in one bite, so you’ll have to use the knife. To be honest, since you use chopsticks to eat most of the time you've only used a knife a handful of times. Since it’s pasta, your fork should be enough to cut it, right? You look up at Saeran to see how he’s doing and find he’s actually pretty good with a fork and knife. Noticing that you’re staring, Saeran looks up at you, “What is it?”

“Oh, just admiring your skills,” you reply honestly.

He smirks at you, “Do you want me to cut your pasta for you?”

“I-I’m fine!” you squeak and Saeran laughs. He looks down at the piece he’s just cut and spears it with his fork before raising it up and holding it toward you like he’s trying to feed you. You stare at the steak and then back up at Saeran. He’s not really….

“Come on, you said you wanted to try it, right?” he tells you in a teasing tone, but despite that his eyes look oddly earnest. Wait a second. This was  _supposed_  to be a fake date, wasn’t it? But doing something like this… it makes it feel so real. You’d figured he’d just cut a piece and put it on your plate and you’d do the same… “Well…?”

Either way, you shouldn’t leave him hanging. Shyly, you lean forward and tentatively eat the steak off his fork. As soon as it’s in your mouth you pull back to your seat, and chew the steak slowly. You’re far too embarrassed over what just transpired to even register the taste of the steak and you don’t want to ask for another piece.

“What about mine?”

You redirect your attention toward Saeran, and he’s giving you a shit-eating grin. That little…He’s totally teasing you! Well, two can play at that game. You raise your fork, cut one of the raviolis on the plate in half and thrust it toward his face. In a sickeningly sweet voice you say, “Say ‘ahh,’ sweetie~”

This time it’s Saeran’s turn to stare at the food being presented to him. He turns bright red as he contemplates what to do. After a moment, he lurches forward and eats the ravioli in the same manner as you did just moments before. You smile and ask, “So, how does it taste?”

“…it’s good,” he utters quietly, looking adequately flustered after you tossed that attempt to tease you right back in his face.

You grin victoriously and pick up the other half of the ravioli on the plate and take a bite. He’s right. It is good. The both of you finish off your respective entrees without exchanging another bite with one another. When you’re done, someone comes by quickly and clears the plates off the table. Now it's time for the thing that you’ve both come here for: the dessert.

A couple minutes later, your waitress comes by with a plate and what looks like a metal ladle. When she sets the plate down, the thing on the plate isn’t the dessert Saeran showed you online. Instead, a shiny, bright red, heart shaped candy-like thing is taking up most of the entire plate. You look up at the waitress in confusion, but she gives you a playful smile. She pulls a lighter out of her pocket and ignites it under the ladle, waving it back and forth, heating it, or whatever is in it, up. After a minute or so, she puts the lighter back in her pocket and pours the contents of the ladle over the candy heart. The liquid in the ladle drizzles down the sides of the heart, melting the candy away. You gasp softly when the cake that you’d been expecting is revealed beneath the candy heart. The waitress chuckles at your reaction and places a pair of spoons down for you and Saeran.

“Please enjoy, guys!”

When she’s gone you look up at Saeran, wide eyed, “That was really cool! Did you… know that was going to happen?”

He slowly nods.

“And you didn’t tell me?”

“Would have ruined the fun,” he chuckles, picking up his spoon.

You grab yours and reach to take a scoop of the cake. To be honest, you’re a bit hesitant. It really is too pretty to eat, but you know if you don’t make your claims now, Saeran will just eat it all. When you take a bite, you realize that it tastes every bit as good as it looks. Between the two of you, you finish the cake in record time. Once you’re done, the waitress comes by once more, check in hand.

“How was it, guys?” she asks, setting the check down on the table.

“It was good!” you respond happily. “Thanks so much!”

She laughs a little, “Well, glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’ll be back for the check in a few!”

The waitress walks off, and you reach for the check but Saeran swipes it out of your grasp. “Hey!”

“What?” his voice is all nonchalant. If anything, you should _at least_ pay for dinner since you were the one who invited him at all.

“Let me pay,” you tell him firmly.

“No.”

“But why? I’m the one who invited you!”

Saeran shifts a bit, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. “‘Cause I said so.”

“But!” you cry in protest.

He pulls out a few bills and stuffs them in the folder. “No.”

“At least let me pay half or something,” you try to reason with him, reaching out to try and grab the bill from him, but his arms are too long and you can’t grab it. He quickly waves the waitress over, and she comes by, moving so she can take the bill without you getting too close to it.

“Do you need change, sir?”

“No, you can keep the change.”

“Thank you so much, sir! I hope the two of you have a good rest of the night!”

“Thanks! You too!” you smile, before throwing another glare at Saeran. There was no need for him to pay for dinner, or at least all of it. He merely ignores you and rises from his seat with you following suit. The two of you head out of the restaurant and back toward the car. Once again, he opens the door for you, and this time you sit without hesitation, grabbing the bag of chocolates off the seat before you settle down.

As Saeran moves to the driver’s side, you remember that you didn’t make any plans beyond dinner, so unless you think of something spur of the moment this (fake) date is pretty much over. You can’t help but feel a bit disappointed at the thought. It’s been a little bit awkward at times, but it’s also been kind of fun, and you’re… not really ready to let go of that yet.

Saeran sits down and starts the car and you contemplate whether or not you should say something or not. The worst he could possibly say is no, but that refusal also could imply a more profound rejection. But it’s better to have tried than not, right? You take a deep breath.

“Hey, Saeran?”

“Mmm?”

“Do you…” you falter for a second, before taking another deep breath. “…I think there’s a ferris wheel nearby, right? Do you wanna… maybe go?”

Saeran thinks for a moment, then he says, in a slow voice, “…it might be crowded too… couples like that kind of thing, don’t they?”

He’s got a point. It is Valentine’s Day after all. There will probably be a pretty long line. You sigh, but it can’t be helped. “…I… I guess we should just head back then! I’ll give you your chocolates when we get home!”

Saeran briefly gives you an odd look, before shifting the car into reverse. He pulls out of the parking lot silently, his face scrunched up like he's thinking hard about something. When he turns onto the street you realize he’s driving away from Saeyoung’s house, but not toward the ferris wheel.

“Where are we going?” you ask.

“You’ll see,” is the only answer you get out of him meaning you’ll just have to wait.

As he drives, you reach into your purse to check your phone. Apparently, Heeji showed that picture you sent her to your other friends, because some of them texted you too. All of them are really supportive, which is really nice, though you can’t help but feel a pang of guilt since this was supposed to be a fake date, but… you glance at Saeran, who’s focused on the road before him. It certainly doesn’t really feel that fake, but you can’t get your hopes up either.

“Hey.”

You look at Saeran, confused. “What?”

“Close your eyes for a minute.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just do it!” Saeran insists, then adds. “… _please_?”

“O…kay…” you agree and close your eyes. You can feel Saeran turn the car, and the he begins to slow before coming to a complete stop. “…can I open them now?”

“Not yet. I’ll tell you when.”

You hear the door open and shut on his side, then a moment later, your door opens. You reach for your seatbelt and undo it before tentatively reaching for Saeran’s hand. When you find it, he gently tugs you out of the car.

“Oh, bring the chocolate too,” he instructs.

You nod and hold onto the bag. Once you’re out of the car Saeran shuts the door behind you and leads you somewhere. You can hear a distant chatter, so wherever he’s taken you has people, but it doesn’t seem that… populated? But it is a bit of a walk. You shiver a little from the cold. The sweater you’re wearing isn’t doing a good job of keeping you warm, but made to look cute, not functional. Saeran suddenly stops walking, and you nearly bump into him.

“Saeran?” The uncertainty in your voice is evident.

“Just a second.” He lets go of your hand, taking away the small source of warmth you had. You hear a rustling sound and then you feel something warm drop on your shoulders. Is that Saeran’s blazer? He put his jacket over you to keep you warm? The pitter-patter of your heart begins to accelerate. That’s just… not fair.. This isn't a real date… But he just keeps doing things that make you question how fake it really is. You almost open your eyes, but Saeran puts his hand over your eyes. “Wait a little bit longer, we’re almost there.”

“…okay, but are you gonna be okay? Aren’t you cold?”

“…I’m fine,” Saeran replies, grasping your hand once more, this time a little tighter. He pulls you so that you’re closer to him, and that heart rate of yours just jumps through the roof. This is really too much…

You walk a little further, turning every now and then, but eventually Saeran stops moving. Have you arrived at your destination? You’re still not sure where you are. But it smells kind of… floral? No… But something like that… Kind of outdoorsy. Are you at a park or something? You wait for Saeran to give you the okay to open your eyes, though, just in case.

“Go ahead and open your eyes.”

Slowly, you do as he says. The first thing you see is an assortment of bright pink, red and white lights strung up on all of trees. It looks almost like a Christmas display. You look around and it seems you were kind of right- wherever he brought you has all sorts of flowers and other various plants all over, but it seems a bit excessive for a park. “A garden?”

Saeran nods.

“It’s so pretty…” you take a few steps forward to take in the lights. You didn’t know that there were places that did light displays for Valentine’s Day too… It’s really nice. There are a bunch of other couples walking around but the garden is so large that it doesn’t feel crowded at all. “Thanks for bringing me here, Saeran!”

He gives you a tiny smile and approaches you again, ushering you to follow him. Saeran leads you down another, much smaller pathway until you reach a bench. Then he sits down and motions for you to sit down next to him. When you do so, he holds out his hand and you figure he must want those chocolates now. Hesitantly, you hand him the bag. Saeran takes it from you and reaches in, pulling out the box.

“You went all out on the wrapping, huh,” Saeran comments, gently touching the perfectly tied ribbon.

You laugh, albeit a little nervously, “Yeah… I actually had a lot of fun wrapping it up all nice and pretty! Doesn’t account for taste, though…”

“Mmm.” Saeran pulls at the ribbon and you watch with bated breath as he lifts the cover off of the box. You breathe a tiny sigh of relief when you find that all nine of your little truffles didn’t get messed up at all during their time in the box, though you did try to make sure to wrap them well. “These are…?”

“They’re chocolate truffles!” you begin to explain. “I ended up making a bunch of different ones since I wasn’t sure which you’d like best. There’s a strawberry one, a mint chocolate one, a brownie one… when I was looking at pictures of them, they kind of reminded me of scoops of ice cream, so i thought it’d be a good idea… Though I don’t know… Maybe I went kind of overboard making so many different kinds…I do hope you like them though…”

While you’re rambling, Saeran moves his hand so that it’s hovering over the different truffles as if he’s thinking of which one to eat first. He finally chooses one and gingerly picks it up with his thumb and forefinger. Then, he looks at you, “Hey, open up.”

“Wha-” Saeran stuffs the truffle in your mouth while you’re speaking, forcing you to eat it. This taste… it must be the cookie dough truffle. You have to admit that it’s actually pretty good. This is probably the first time you can say that you’ve made something edible. And not just edible, it even tastes good too! Feeling proud of yourself, you can’t help but grin as you swallow. It’s probably not the healthiest thing to be able to make, but at least it’s something.

“So how was it?” Saeran inquires with a serious look. “Was it good? I’m not gonna die if I eat one, right?”

You laugh again, this time more earnestly, “It was good! You’ll be fine if you eat one! But that was the only cookie dough truffle in the box…”

“Oh…” Saeran looks down at the box, then back up at you. “It’s fine.”

You blink. “Are you sure?”

He nods, then he stops moving, hesitation flickering in his eyes. Just as you’re about to ask, he leans down closer to you, closing his eyes as he approaches. He softly presses his lips against yours in a  chaste kiss. Then, after a moment he pulls back, his eyes fluttering back open. He offers you a hazy smile, “…you’re right. It was good.”

You open your mouth and try to say something but no words come out. Did he… He totally did… He just _kissed_ you! You feel all the air in your body escape you and you sag back against the bench. Saeran kissed you. And he said it was  _good_ …

While you sit there, stunned over the kiss, he picks up another one of the truffles and pops it in his mouth. You snap back to reality, waiting to see what he says about it. Then you can ask him about that kiss.

“…this is pretty good,” he remarks, grabbing another and eating it. You’re relieved to see that he likes the chocolates that you worked so hard on, but now your focus is elsewhere.

“Saeran, why did you kiss me just now?” you demand, getting straight to the point.

He stops munching on the truffles to look at you, “…isn’t it obvious?”

Your face feels warm and you look away, feeling a bit embarrassed, “But wasn’t this supposed to be a fake date?”

“…maybe to you,” he answers in a meaningful tone, causing you to look back at him. “But it’s been real to me this whole time.”

“…what…?”

His expression grows more exasperated, “…do I  _really_  have to write it out in crayon for you?”

“I… uh… yes.” At this point there are some rather obvious conclusions that you can draw, but you’d much rather hear him say it so that there’s no doubt. Saeran sighs, and draws closer once more.

“…will you make me these truffles again next year? Not as a someone asking for a favor, but as my girlfriend?” he asks, looking you directly in the eyes.

“…yes,” you nod your head up and down vigorously.

He grins at your response and leans in for one more chocolate flavored kiss.


End file.
